Ronnie Clayton obituary

A Slave – To Soccer was the title the Blackburn Rovers and England player Ronnie Clayton gave his autobiography, published the year before the abolition of the iniquitous maximum wage in 1961, when it stood at £20 per week. Yet Clayton, who has died aged 76, was quite happy with his lot, venturing from his native Preston only as far as nearby Blackburn, where he made his League debut in 1951, and went on as a right-half to establish a club record of 665 appearances.

For England, he won no fewer than 35 caps, the first of them against Northern Ireland in 1955, the last against Yugo- slavia in 1960, and captaining the side on his last five appearances. As such, he was greatly admired by the England manager, Walter Winterbottom: "Ronnie was not a great talker, but he showed tremendous determination and concentration. And off the field, he was an honest, straightforward person; one you could rely on."

Jimmy Armfield of Blackpool, who played for England behind Clayton at right-back, admired him, too: "He always did his share of defensive duties and read a game so well. He was quiet. Now and again he would wander around and whisper a few things to you, but basically he showed rather than pointed the way."

The other England full-back of the time, Ray Wilson, felt that captains were extremely important off the field, and that in this respect, Clayton was ideal. "After all, when a player is picked he is supposed to be the best in his position in the country. He shouldn't need a lot of guidance. Off the field, the team needs a spokesman. Ronnie was that. He was a sociable fellow. I know he helped me settle into the side."

Often in front of Clayton, both for club and in internationals, was the slight outside-right Bryan Douglas. Clayton had the grateful task of supporting and supplying him, and in the 1957-58 season, they each played a crucial part in winning Rovers promotion to the First Division when they finished second.

However, the consequent exertions took their toll on both when it came to the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden. Clayton initially lost his place in the team to the more adventurous and flamboyant Eddie Clamp of Wolves. On their way to Sweden, England had been overwhelmed 5-0 by Yugoslavia in Belgrade, when neither Clayton nor any other English defender had been able to contain a rampant Milos Milutinovic.

Missing England's first three group games, Clayton was however recalled for the eventual play-off between second and third in the group. This took place in Gothenburg, and was lost 1-0 to the Soviet Union.

As a wing-half, he was always efficient and reliable rather than spectacular, a firm tackler, an accomplished positional player, using the ball with economy, perhaps, rather than flair. In May 1969, Blackburn gave him a free transfer – proper reward, said their then manager, Johnny Carey, somewhat ambiguously, for his outstanding services.

As a club manager, however, Clayton failed to flourish. Appointed manager of Morecambe in the Northern Premier League, he lasted till August 1970. The following November, he joined Great Harwood, from the same League, as captain for a season, before returning full-time to his family's newsagent's business in Darwen. He is survived by his wife, Valerie, a daughter and two sons.

• Ronald Clayton, footballer, born 5 August 1934; died 29 October 2010